Tamping bar for expanding earth anchors



1,639,836 1927' ,J. BLACKBURN TAMPING BAR FOR EXPANDING EARTH. ANCHORS Filed NOV. 22, 1926 fully expanded.

" Patented Aug. 23, 1927.

JASPER BLACKBURN, or WEBSTER GROVES, MISSOURI.

TAMPING BAR roR EXPANDING EARTH ANCHORS.

App1ication filed N ovember 22; 1926. Serial No. 149,858.

My invention relates to improvements in tamping bar for expanding earth anchors and has for its primary object a tamping bar in which the striking head is provided with lugs so that the head can be secured around the anchor rod and the. tamping accomplished without the danger of the bar bounching from the rod.

A further objectis to construct a tamping bar, the head ofwhich can be interlocked with the rod in such a manner thattho head will always strike in the same place and when used for expanding earth anchors, the operator will know when the anchor is Heretofor'e inthe construction of tamping bars, there was always a possibility thatthe head would slide oti from the rod and strike the anchor itself, giving the impression that the anchor was fully expanded and consequently there was always a possibility of the anchor not being expanded at all with the resultant danger that the anchor would pull out of the ground. My interlocking feature in no way binds the head in such a manner as to restrict its free movement but, at the same time, will securely hold the head onto the rod in such a manner that itcan not be removed therefrom until the head has been pulled up above the surface of the ground.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved tamping bar in positon on a rod ready to expand an anchor. the earth being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the lower end of the tamping bar showing the head and the manner of attaching it to a rod. the rod being shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line l-4; of Fig. 1.

In the construction of my device I employ a head 5. This head is preferably substantially rectangular and is provided in one face with a groove or passageway 6, the groove being substantially semi-circular projecting upward from the head 5, and continuous with two opposite faces are straps 7, which are provided with openings 8 through which fastening means pass for securing the handle 9 to the head, the lower part of the handle 9 is preferably rectangular as illustrated by the numeral 10 and of the hooks 12 and 13 are spaced from r the head so as to provide a passageway to permit the insertion of the anchor rod 15. To the lower end of the anchor rod is secured the anchor 16, which is provided with expanding blades 17. To these blades are pivotally secured links 18, which in turn are pivotally secured at their opposite ends to a collar 19. The collar 19 is slidably mounted on the anchor rod 15 and when the tampingbar or head 5 strikes the collar 19, it is driven downward toward the anchor, causing the links 18 to spread the expanding blades 17.

The manner of attaching the head to the rod is clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 from which it will be noted that the head is turned at such an angle that the rod 15 will pass between the hooks 12 and 13. The head is then straightened so that it will be parallel to the rod causing the hooks 12 and 13 to surround the rod in such a manner that it will be impossible for the same to bounce off or become detached therefrom. In this connection it is to be noted that the hole in the earth, in which the anchor is seated, is of such diameter that it will be impossible to twist the head sufliciently to cause it to become disengaged from the rod, the only point where this disengagement and engagement can be effect-ed with the rod being above the surfaceof the ground. By this construction of tamping bar, the tamping head will always strike the collar 19, and there will be no chance whatever of the head striking any other part of the anchor because the head is positively guided by the rod to this point only.

It is obvious that the tamping head can be made of various sizes and weights and used for general tamping purposes, its use not being restricted only to forcing out the expanding blades of earth anchors.

It is also obvious from my description that the space between the hooks 12 and 13 forms a passageway for the rod 15, which is til arranged at an angle to the passageway 6 so that when the bar is applied to a rod intern'iediate its ends the head must be so tilted that the axis of the rod is at an angle to the axis of the passageway 63.

Having fully described my I claim is 1. ii tamping bar comprisinga head. a handle secured tosaid head, hooks projectfrom one face of said head and longitudinally spaced apartwhereby said head can be loosely interlocked with afixed member against accidental disengagement therefrom when said head is moved up and down.

2. ii tamping bar comprising a head having groove in one face thereof, hook members carried by said head in longitudinally spaced relation to each other each of said hook members extending across the groove in opposite directions whereby said head can be interlocked with a fixed member and restrained. against lateral movement thereon.

3. A tampin bar comprising a head, spaced apart projections carried by the head o that the same may be passed over a fixed iember, said projections extend l in opposite directions and beyond each other and adapted to hold the head from becoming accidentally detached from the fixed memher, and a handle carried by said head.

1-. A tamping bar comprising a head provided with a longitudinally disposed groove,

invent-ion, what andlongitudinally spaced means extending from opposite sides of said groove whereby said head can be interlocked with a'fixed member and restrained against lateral move ment thereon. i

5. A tamping arcomprising a head hav inga longitudinally extending passageway formed therein, a second passageway extending outwardly from said first mentioned passageway and having its axis arranged'at an angle to the axis of the first mentioned passageway whereby saidhead can be readily attached to and removed from a'rod efilciiding); in opposite directions and adapted to prevent the head from becoming acci- (e from a rod extending detacl ed a passageway on which it is placed. V V i In testimony whereof Ihave affixed my signature.

JASPER BLACKBURN. 

